ShinEtsu Drabbles
by EHeartAngel
Summary: Shinpachi x Etsu (OC) Drabbles. Related to the Time Travel AU. Drabbles about ShinEtsu as a couple.
1. You get to his Heart through his Stomach

She'd been convinced by Heisuke to come out one Friday night to go out drinking with his senpai and other doctors from the hospital. Chizuru-chan, Souji-kun and Hajime-kun would all be there, so she should be okay…

She was always so shy around new people, so she was a little worried.

"Ah, Etsu!" Heisuke waved over to her when he spotted her come in. "Over here!" He was sitting next to two men, a tall red-haired man with amber eyes, and another with reddish-brown hair and captivating blue eyes. Heisuke had made some _very_ attractive friends…

She smiled widely and high-fived Heisuke in greeting. "It's been a while, Heisuke-kun!" Nonetheless, she was happy to see him, since quite some time had passed. He was in med school now, and she was busy teaching. It had been a while since she'd gone out to have fun.

"Sit, sit, these two are my Senpai, Nagakura Shinpachi," he gestured to the reddish-brown haired man, his biceps caught her eyes. "And this is Harada Sanosuke." The red-haired man gave her a wink. "This is my childhood friend, Miura Etsu."

She flushed and sat next to Heisuke, bowing her head slightly. "It's nice to meet the both of you."

"Ah, nice to meet you." Sanosuke gave her a gentle smile. "Didn't know Heisuke was hiding a cute girlfriend."

"We're not dating!" The pair chorused. People always assumed that they were, and it bothered them since they saw each other as siblings. Their mothers had been best friends since high school, and when Heisuke's father abandoned him and his mother, they went to live with Etsu and her parents.

Neither of them was showing any signs of lying, so Sanosuke gave it up. Seems like they weren't interested in each other romantically. "So, Miura-chan, what do you do for a living?" He saw Shinpachi sit up straighter to pay attention from the corner of his eye. There he goes again…

"Ah, I'm an elementary school teacher, I teach first grade!" She smiled brightly. She loved her job, even though the children in her class, her kids, could be a bit of a handful sometimes, she had nothing but patience for them.

Heisuke nodded proudly. "Yeah, she's a really dedicated teacher!"

"What about the both of you, Harada-san, Nagakura-san?"

"I'm the hospital's psychologist. I treat patients and the staff."

"I'm a physical therapist and a nutritionist! I make sure our patients exercise and eat well!" Shinpachi grinned, beaming with pride.

Heisuke snickered. "They look more like delinquents though!"

Sanosuke smacked Heisuke on the back. "Oi, we've shed our pasts, don't go making us look bad in front of Miura-chan!"

"That's right! Tell 'im, Sano! We're good law-abiding citizens that help people!" Shinpachi high-fived Sanosuke.

Etsu giggled a bit at their interaction. It seemed like the three of them were a fun combination. She was having fun talking to Heisuke's new friends, especially Shinpachi. In turn, he asked her a lot of questions about her kids, which made her rather chatty. Usually, she preferred to listen to get to know people better, but when people touched the subject of her job, she couldn't shut up about how cute and amazing her kids were. "Ah, I see Chizuru-chan over there, I think I'll stop by to say hi. I'll be back." She stood up, leaving her purse on the seat.

"She's real cute." Shinpachi grinned.

"That she is," Sanosuke chuckled, "You certainly seem interested."

"Nah-uh, Shinpatsu-san! She's off limits!" Heisuke gave him a slight glare. Shinpachi wasn't a bad guy, per se, but he certainly did date around a lot. He had a new girlfriend every few weeks. Etsu was too special to be just a fling.

"What're ya talking about, Heisuke? It's her choice to make!" Shinpachi crossed his arms.

"I'm looking out for her!" Heisuke scratched the back of his head, looking over to make sure Etsu was still preoccupied with making small-talk with Chizuru and Souji. "Look," He sighed. "When we were in high school, Etsu confessed to some idiot. I heard the whole thing from start to finish. He said some…" He swallowed some curses. "…things to her. Horrible things. Since then, she's been a little afraid to kinda put herself out there. That's why I don't want her dating _just_ any guy." He clenched his fists at the memory.

Sanosuke and Shinpachi remained silent for a few moments.

"You socked him, right?"

Heisuke looked up at Sanosuke and nodded. "Souji came with me. Hajime-kun didn't help us beat the crap outta him, but he did stop us from completely beating the shit outta him. He wasn't completely helpless, got a few blows in too."

"Heisuke, you know me! I treat women with nothing but respect. I'm just lookin' around for the right girl, that's why I'm always dating." Shinpachi looked over at Etsu. "Just her number. I'll take her out on just one date. I _am_ looking for something serious, ya know."

Heisuke sighed, knowing what he said was true. "Well, that's up to her if she wants. If she asks me about you, I'm not gonna play wingman though."

After she'd gone around to greet everyone, she came back to the table. Shinpachi was the only one remaining there. "Ah, Nagakura-san, where did they go?"

"They got up for some more drinks." He shrugged, drinking the rest of his beer. "Can I buy you a drink?"

She quickly shook her head. "Oh, no thank you. I'm not much of a drinker." She had some interesting habits when she was drunk, like biting the person next to her, so she'd rather not drink in a public setting and cause a disturbance.

She and Shinpachi made more conversation, both trying to find out as much as they could about each other before the night ended.

—

"Heisuke-kun?" Etsu knocked on the open door to his shared office. "I brought you, Harada-san and Nagakura-san some lunch…I was hoping we could eat together…"

 _More like with just Shinpatsu-san._ "I'm a little busy, so I'll eat here, you can ask Sano-san and Shinpatsu-san. They usually hang out in Sano-san's office for lunch. Thanks, Etsu." Heisuke grinned, peeking inside his bento, his favorite onigiri! _You owe me, Shinpatsu-san._

Etsu wished him luck and skipped to Harada-san's office, hoping she'd see a certain reddish-brown haired man. Her heart fluttered at the thought of him in his green scrubs, his arms completely exposed for her to admire. Ah, he looked so strong…to be in those arms…what would it feel like?

"Oh? Miura-chan, come in." Sanosuke welcomed her in. "Lunch again? Thanks, Miura-chan. Eating a home-cooked meal is definitely better than going down to the cafeteria to eat." He gave her a warm smile. She'd been coming nearly everyday for a month after they'd met.

"It's no trouble! C-can I ask where Nagakura-san is?" She placed his bento box on his desk.

Sanosuke suspected that this excuse of bringing them lunch was an attempt to woo Shinpachi. Well, he did believe in the saying, "the way to man's heart is through his stomach." She was definitely interested in him, but wasn't confident enough in proclaiming her feelings in an assertive way. She was waiting for Shinpachi to make the first move, but the guy could be kind of dense. He internally sighed, there he goes again, analyzing people and playing matchmaker. "He's probably at the gym. You can check there."

Her smile brightened. "Thank you, Harada-san!" She heard him bark another word of thanks before she dashed to the elevator.

Her face ran smack dab into someone's firm chest. "Oh, watch out there!" She felt a strong arm wrap around her waist to keep her from falling backwards.

Her light brown eyes looked up, meeting blue ones, a blush immediately spread across her face. "N-Nagakura-san!"

"Ah! Etsu-chan!" Shinpachi grinned at her. "Ran right into me, where were you off to in such a hurry?"

"…I brought you lunch. Harada-san and Heisuke-kun are too busy today to eat together today." Honestly, she wasn't too disappointed about that.

They wound up going outside to sit on a bench to enjoy their lunch in the nice weather. It was spring, the cherry blossoms were in bloom, the cold weather was subtly disappearing.

"Pita pocket sandwiches?! Etsu-chan, you're too good to me!" Shinpachi immediately took a bite as soon as it was in his hands. "You're helping me watch my calorie count too!"

Etsu blushed at his compliments, hiding behind her pink scarf. "I heard from Heisuke-kun that you keep track of what you eat…"

He nodded eagerly. "I'm kinda trying a new thing. I'm making myself go through different diets to recommend to my patients, since there are some that might be allergic or have difficulty of thinking of dishes to eat that fit into their calorie count." Shinpachi grinned and placed his hand on her head. "Thanks, really, all this month, you've given me a different dish to try. I've written them down in some of my meal plans for my patients."

This time, she buried her face in her hands. "Y-you're welcome, Nagakura-san." Yet another thing to admire about him, how dedicated he was to helping others.

Shinpachi took one of her hands in his, pulling it away from her face to stare into her eyes. He took a deep breath. "…So…um, well, I don't want you getting the wrong idea or anything that it's just for the food or anything, but I really enjoy talking to you, Etsu."

Etsu lowered her other hand and looked up at him, tilting her head in slight confusion. "Nagakura-san?"

"Will you go out with me?"

Blink. Once, twice. _What?_

Did she hear him correctly?

"…That is if you're interested! If you don't wanna go on a date with me, that's fine too…" He rubbed the back of his neck, his cheeks dusted with a light pink. "…But I…really like you, ya know…"

"You…like me?"

Shinpachi looked back at her, her light brown eyes were wide. He set his sandwich down and took both of her hands in his. "Of course! I really like you! So…will you go on a date with me this Friday?"

His large hands made hers feel so small…She honestly couldn't believe what was going on. Why? Why did he like her?

But hell, she was going to go for it. She was interested in him, she liked him too.

Shinpachi grew nervous, the more the silence dragged on.

"…Yes, Friday sounds great, Nagakura-san!" She gave his hands a light squeeze, smiling slightly at him.


	2. First Date

Shinpachi nervously stepped out of his dark green car. He told her he'd pick her up at five for dinner and a movie. He'd asked Heisuke about her favorite foods and movies. He wanted everything to be perfect, she deserved no less. He hesitated in front of her apartment door, taking a deep breath, and finally knocked.

Etsu smoothed out the front of her navy blue dress that went past her knees. She was a rather modest dresser, which some of her friends teased her for. She opened the door and greeted him with a smile. He was five minutes early, but she'd been ready for a whole hour, a tad nervous. She'd asked Chizuru for advice on how to dress, how to act, what to do, she was so flustered once the reality sunk in that she'd been asked out by Nagakura Shinpachi. She ran over, smoothing out her dress again and opened the door, the sight of pink castilian roses, her favorite flower, greeting her first.

"Yo, Etsu-chan!" Shinpachi peered over the bouquet, grinning slightly, offering her his hand. "Ready to go?"

Etsu's heart skipped a beat at the sight of him, green button-up shirt that clung to his torso, oh-so-nicely, black pants that were fitted, ah, what a sight. Butterflies flapped violently in her stomach. "Yes, Nagakura-san!" She took the roses from him and smelled them slightly. "They're beautiful! Thank you!" She placed her hand in his, walking down the steps to his car. He opened the passenger car door for her and even fastened her seat belt for her.

When he got in the driver's seat, she noticed he was a bit stiff. He was just as nervous as she was, she realized. Honestly, maybe she was getting ahead of herself, but she really wanted, hoped, that this relationship was a meaningful one and that it led to something more. Etsu took a little breath, cheeks already tinting pink. "Sh-Shinpachi-kun, please don't be so nervous, I'm nervous too, but let's be comfortable and honest with each other."

Shinpachi's blue eyes glanced over at her as he started the car, giving her a brilliant smile. "Sounds good, Etsu-chan. We're here to hang out and get to know each other more, right?"

Nodding eagerly, she gave him a smile that made his heart do a flip. "Yes!"

Shinpachi took them to a nice Italian restaurant. He saw her eyes sparkle when she looked at the menu. Heisuke mentioned she loved pastas, so he did some research by asking Sano which restaurants had the best Italian dishes.

They had a nice meal, talking about their interests, finding that they had several things in common, leading to more date plans in the future without both realizing it. Shinpachi wouldn't hear about letting her pick up the bill, which she appreciated, but she was going to catch him off guard next time. Shinpachi drove to a movie theater not far from the restaurant.

"I've already got the tickets to the movie, so let's grab popcorn." As they walked up to the counter, their hands were already linked, a natural action for both of them. It made Etsu giddy with delight, feeling his strong hand in hers. They got their tickets scanned and were let in to get concessions.

Shinpachi ordered two drinks and a medium popcorn, and before he could get his wallet out, Etsu had already handed the cashier her card to pay. She winked at him. "I work too, Shinpachi-kun."

He chuckled and they both made their way to their seats.

Etsu had forgotten to ask what movie they would be seeing. She'd been too happy looking down at their hands to notice which theater they entered.

During the previews, they managed to eat most of the popcorn, both realizing a little too late. They laughed about it and held hands again, waiting for the movie to finally start.

As the Marvel opening credits rolled, she gasped and looked over at him. "A Marvel movie?!" She whispered excitedly. She honestly would've never imagined she would be going to see a Marvel movie on a first date.

Shinpachi nodded and gave her hand a squeeze. Heisuke had suggested, no implored him, to take her to see the most recent Marvel movie because they were her favorites. Heisuke had remembered that Etsu had mentioned she had yet to go see it in theaters. He'd been to busy lately to go with her, and she didn't want to go alone. Judging by her reactions to every scene, he watched her more than he did the movie, he was extremely glad he listened to Heisuke.

When they exited the theater, she was bursting with energy and reactions.

"And-and that one part where Captain-!" She flapped her arms in excitement. Etsu looked back at Shinpachi, suddenly quieting down, blushing slightly. "Ah…I'm sorry! I got so excited!" She'd been told by her family members that she sometimes she was too excitable after a movie. She couldn't help it, she'd felt so many emotions during a movie.

Shinpachi felt his heart overflow with affection for this girl, and pulled her into his arms to kiss her forehead. "No, don't be sorry. Show me all of your reactions, tell me everything you're thinking," He grinned, cupping her warm face to look into her large light brown eyes, "I want to hear it all."

"Y-you do?" She placed her hands on his.

Nodding, he released her and took her hand. "Yep, so just continue being yourself. Don't hide anything."

"Th-then the same to you! Don't hide anything from me either, okay?"

—

Shinpachi parked the car in front of her apartment building to walk her up to her door. "So…Do you want to go out again?"

Etsu smiled, tip-toeing and gently pulled his cheek down to her lips, giving him a small peck. "I'd love to. I'd also loved it if we could text or call each other…"

Shinpachi quickly pulled out his phone. "I don't play those teen games of 'if I call quickly I'm desperate,' okay?"

"Me neither. I don't see the point. We agreed to be honest with each other, remember?" She called her phone and lifted it, showing off her Overwatch Mercy case.

"Is that Mercy?" Shinpachi pointed at her phone.

"Do you play?"

"Hell yes I do! When I have I have time! Heisuke and I like playing more than Sano." Shinpachi grinned. "I tank, Heisuke usually plays DPS. PC, right?"

She gave him a high-five. "Yes! Yeah, he's my favorite Reaper to play with!" She grinned. "But he gets reckless when he pockets me, since I make him first priority to resurrect and heal." She giggled. Yet another thing they had in common. Well, a couple that games together, stays together.

"Let's play tonight! I'll log right on when I get home! You play with mic, don't you?"

"That's the only way to play!" Etsu's fingers worked quickly on the screen of her phone. "Here's my battle tag!" She was so excited, their date didn't have to end right now.

"Great! I'll talk to you in a bit then!" Shinpachi gave her hands a squeeze and her forehead another kiss.

–

They had played late into the night, queuing up in arcade, playing different modes and just having fun. She and Shinpachi had agreed to have lunch a few times a week, since the school she worked at wasn't very far. On the nights they couldn't have dinner together, they played Overwatch together. They grew closer with each passing date, day that they spent together. They'd settled into a routine of this for three months.

One weekend morning, Shinpachi went over to her apartment so that they could play in person. This would be his first time inside her place, a pretty big step for the both of them.

He waited patiently after he'd knocked. As soon as she opened the door, he could smell something delicious cooking, chicken noodle soup? Either way, he knew he was going to enjoy it. Shinpachi leaned down to peck her in greeting. "Smells good, what's cookin', good lookin'?" He winked at her, earning a giggle from her.

"Chicken noodle soup~. You're still on that one diet you told me about." She admired him as he passed by her to come in. Today, he was wearing a gray Reinheardt shirt and jeans. God, she loved his strong thighs, she thought as she watch him stride into her living room.

Shinpachi looked back at her, she was wearing tight jeans and a black Mercy shirt. "Yep~, you remembered!"

"Let's start queuing up. I want my gold Cadaceus staff this season!" She led him to her dining room table for him to set up his laptop. Hers was already set up, a black gaming laptop with various stickers from her favorite fandoms, her Mercy mouse shone yellow as she brought her laptop back to life. Her gaming headset, black headphones with blue outlines were off to the side already.

"Hell yes, baby. If I'm Rein, there'll be plenty of chances for you to earn healing points!" He took her hand and kissed the back of it as he waited for his laptop to start up.

They spent a few hours like this, screaming profanities at the enemy team when either one of them got killed.

"These bastards! Gangin' up on my Honey like that!"

"Ahhhh! I'm so sorry, Honey Bear! I couldn't rez you!"

When matches ended, they bad-mouthed the players on both teams, their own and the enemy team. They laughed at their own silly comments and inside jokes about the characters in the game.

"Break time~…" Etsu stood up, her legs rather stiff from sitting so long.

"Soup and a movie?" Shinpachi suggested, following her to the kitchen.

She nodded. "Go turn on the PS4 and choose something on Netflix. I'll be right there." She served the bowls of soup and went to place them on the coffee table in front of the TV before going back for two glasses of water. She settled next to him, and he started the movie. "Civil War?"

"It's your favorite." He smiled, picking up his soup.

Once they'd finished, leaving the empty bowls in front of them, Shinpachi had pulled her into his lap, every so often, nuzzling into her neck or shoulder, causing her to giggle. She'd probably seen this movie so many times, but she reacted as if she were watching it for the first time, and he loved that about her. "I love you." He murmured quietly into her ear.

Etsu blinked, looking back at him, suddenly losing interest in the movie, wondering if she'd heard correctly. "Eh?"

"I love you, Etsu." Shinpachi kissed her softly. He was a little startled when he felt tears roll down her cheeks. "Wh-what's the matter?"

She shook her head, giving him a smile, wiping her tears away. "I'm just so happy…I love you too, Shinpachi."

Shinpachi sighed a little, wiping her tears away. "Geez, you startled me there, Etsu…I thought I did something to hurt you!" He had learned that she was a bit of a crybaby. She couldn't hold back her tears whenever there was a sad or emotional scene in a movie, game or book. He didn't mind, he thought it was adorable.

Shaking her head again, she wrapped her arms around him. "No…I just never thought anyone would say that to me. I love you so much!" Truthfully, she'd wanted to say it, but she didn't want to make him uncomfortable if he didn't feel the same. She knew that they'd someday be able to say it comfortably, but it caught her off guard. Nonetheless, she was so happy, her heart overfilling with warmth and love for this man.

Chuckling, he wrapped his arms around her. "I'll be saying a lot, so be prepared!"

Chapter Management Edit Chapter Delete Chapte


	3. Count on me

_I don't feel well today, Shin, let's hang out tomorrow?_

Shinpachi furrowed his eyebrows. This was the first time Etsu canceled on him since they started dating, it'd been about six months since they'd started going out, and they were still getting to know each other, but they were very much in love.

"Huh, what's up, Shinpachi?" Sano peered over his shoulder, wiping his brow. They had finished their reps in the gym and were just getting out of the showers. "Ah, that's too bad."

"It's weird, she never canceled on me before…I wonder how she got sick."

Sanosuke shook his head. "She's not sick. She asked to see you tomorrow, meaning, it's something else." He had experience with Haruka, so he knew what Etsu's issue was. He sighed when Shinpachi gave him a confused look. He pulled off the towel off his waist and started getting dressed. "She's having women problems."

"OH!" Shinpachi hit his forehead and pulled off the towel from his waist, throwing it on the bench as he reached for his bag inside his locker. "That makes sense…I wonder if I can do anything to help her…"

"Ask Chizuru-chan. They've been friends since high school, she's bound to know the things she needs."

Nodding, he sent back a quick reply to Etsu, _Sure, Honey. Feel better,_ and sent a text to Chizuru before he got dressed.

–

Etsu shuffled to the door, blanket draped over her shoulders, flowing to the ground, clutching her abdomen, eyes watering in pain. She'd already taken a pain killer, but it didn't seem to be working. She'd asked Chizuru-chan to pick up a few things for her since she was in no condition to leave the house. When she opened the door, she gasped in light horror and pulled her blanket over her head. "Shin! What are you doing here?!"

"Oi, oi, that's how you receive me? We haven't seen each other in a week, Etsu!" He entered the door and set the two grocery bags down and went to peel the blanket from her face.

"Shin! I don't have any make-up on!" She groaned, clutching the blankets tighter. "Why didn't you warn me?!"

"Etsu, I'm not a shallow man!" He huffed in annoyance and pulled her into his chest, successfully revealing her face. He brushed the hair out of her face and cupped her cheeks, noticing her eyes were watering and her face was rather pale. "O-oi…Was I too rough? I'm sorry…"

She quickly shook her head and sighed, lowering the blanket more. "N-no…I'm just-" She shut her eyes and groaned in pain. "…Cramping up badly…and it hurts a lot…"

Shinpachi sat her down on the couch and brought over the grocery bags. "Then rest, I'm here to take care of you, Etsu." He kissed her temple.

She flushed and looked over at him. "Th-thank you, Shin…I'm so embarrassed you're seeing me like this…" She was wearing baggy pajama pants and an old over-sized t-shirt. She felt rather self-conscious that he could see her like this.

"Maa maa, don't worry about it. You look fine, very comfy, Honey." He chuckled and opened one of the grocery bags. "I brought you what you asked from Chizuru, and some extras." He held up the other bag, containing the pads she'd asked Chizuru for.

"Thank you, Shin, that's very sweet of you." She flushed again and kissed his cheek.

A little red dusted his cheeks. "Well…it's the least I could do…since I can't take the pain away, Etsu." He reached inside the bag and pulled out the items one by one. "I brought you your favorite chocolate truffles, some heating pads, chamomile tea, and a teddy bear."

"Thank you~." She blinked and took the items from him. "A teddy bear? Shin, you didn't hand me one?"

He turned his back to her for a second and faced her again, spreading his arms. He'd put on a headband with bear ears. A blush spread across his face. "I'm your teddy bear, Etsu, here to cuddle you!"

Etsu burst into giggles and dove right into his arms. "Oh my God, Shin! That was too adorable!" She squealed and hugged him tightly. "You're the best teddy bear I've ever had, Honey Bear!"

Grinning, he kissed her forehead. "Let me make you some tea and get the heating pads ready for you. I'll come right back."

She nodded and wrapped the blanket tighter around herself, her heart overfilling with warmth and happiness to have someone care about her so much. She'd been a little upset that he'd come over without warning, but he didn't seem to mind her bare face and only wanted to make her feel better.

–

Tea in hands, heating pads on her abdomen, and with Shin's arms wrapped around her, she felt a bit better. The pain came and went in waves, but Shin was right there to hold her close and whisper soft and loving things in her ear.

It was getting late, and she hated to see him go. "Shin…could you be my teddy bear for the night?"

"Hm? You want me to stay?"

Nodding shyly, she grasped his hand. "I feel better when you're here, Shin. J-just sleeping next to you is fine, Shin…"

He smiled and brushed their noses together. "Of course, Etsu."

Luckily, she'd had an extra, brand new toothbrush he could use. They brushed their teeth together and her heart jumped at their reflections in the mirror. If they lived together, was this what it would kind of feel like?

Shinpachi took off his green track jacket and his bandanna, before getting under the covers next to her. Etsu looked at him, admired him in his white tank and with his messy hair down. He looked so…comfy. He pulled her to his chest, her back against his chest, his face buried in her hair. She smelled of vanilla. He breathed in her scent softly. "Feel any better?"

"Much better now, Shin." She murmured sleepily, closing her eyes, feeling his breathing. "Thank you, Shin, I love you."

He chuckled and wrapped an arm around her waist. "You know you can count on me, I love ya too, Etsu. Goodnight."

"Goodnight, Shin."


	4. Doubts

For the sixth time in the span of ten minutes, Harada Sanosuke looked through the open blinds of the small window. Etsu was still pacing outside his office. At first, he thought she was just looking for her boyfriend, and his best friend, Shinpachi, but after five minutes, she was still pacing.

Etsu jumped a bit as the door opened and she looked over at the red-haired Psychologist. "Ah, Sano-san! You startled me!"

Chuckling, he invited her in. "Sorry about that, but you've been pacing in front of my office door for ten minutes. You're probably not looking for Shinpachi, so what's on your mind?" He closed the door and shut the blinds before he returned to his desk. "Make yourself comfortable, Etsu-chan."

She bowed her head in thanks and sat on the couch next to his desk. "You're right…I…" She took a breath. "…have been wanting to come see you as a patient, Sano-san."

"I accept walk-ins, and the first session is free." He winked. "Next session will cost you dinner with me and Haruka. I suppose Shinpachi should join us as well." He chuckled.

She giggled a little and nodded. "…so, you won't tell Shin anything?"

Sanosuke nodded seriously. "What goes on with my patients stays that way. My personal life does not interfere with my work, Etsu-chan."

Nodding, she let out a little breath of relief. "I trust you, of course, Sano-san." She took a moment to gather her thoughts before speaking, "Well…I'm sure Shin tells you a lot about our relationship." He nodded in acknowledgment, and she continued, "I'm a little worried about something." She looked up at him before looking down in slight embarrassment. "I want to become intimate with Shin, but I'm afraid…because I'm not confident about my body…and he's got so much experience too! Not that it's a bad thing, but he's my first boyfriend so I've never gotten intimate with anyone else…"

Sanosuke gave her a moment before he began speaking. "I'm sure Shinpachi's aware of your experience as you are of his. That probably doesn't bother him, and as for your self-esteem, Etsu, I've heard from Chizuru and Heisuke how you've struggled with that. I applaud you for acknowledging and working with it. Everyone has heard from Shinpachi how much he loves not only what's inside, but on the outside."

She flushed and fidgeted with the front of her skirt. "…he does? I mean…he tells me, but being skin to skin is…so different than wearing clothes…"

"Well, you should know by now that the best way with him is a direct approach. He can be rather dense. Talk to him."

Etsu nodded, pursing her lips as she thought about it. "Thank you, Sano-san…I really appreciate it. "I know it's not the same, but let me remind you that I can lend an ear when you need one too!"

Sanosuke chuckled, patting her shoulder. "Thanks, Etsu-chan."

–

She'd grown to love his kisses, he had been her first kiss after all.

Lately though, they were more desperate, eager make-out sessions between the two of them, but she was still hesitant to take the next step, and he was very considerate of her. She could feel the tension between them.

Her fingers tangled in his hair to pull him closer. Oh, how she wanted to take the next step, but there were still so many doubts that clouded her mind.

His hands traveled down to the edge of her shirt, and she quickly grabbed his hands before they could slip inside it.

He parted from her to look at her face, "Sorry, Etsu, I got carried away." He murmured, placing a kiss on her forehead. "If you're not ready, you're not ready. We do this when you are."

Etsu kept her hands on his and moved them to her thighs. "Shin…I…can we talk about this? Being intimate?"

He nodded, patting her thigh. "Of course. You know we're all about honesty, Etsu."

Drawing a breath, she looked up at him. "I…want to… You know, do that with you…but I'm scared you…won't like me."

"Like what? Your body?" He placed his arms around her waist, pulling her into his lap. "Honey, I love every bit of you. Your cute tummy, your thick thighs, everything." Shinpachi grinned, cupping her face, brushing their noses together. "I love you. We've talked about your insecurities before, but you're doing things that make you happy now. You've even started joining me at the gym twice a week now!" He kissed her forehead. "And you're doing it for you, your health. I'm really proud of you!"

"Shin…" Her eyes watered as she looked into his blue eyes, wrapping her arms around him. "What did I do to deserve you!?"

Shinpachi chuckled, ruffling her hair. "Come on now, don't cry on me, you know I'm no good when you cry. It's my ultimate weakness!"

She wiped at her eyes and giggled. "I'm just really happy you feel that way, Shin." Burying her face into the crook of his neck, she softly whispered, "I…I think I'm ready, Shin."

Shinpachi could feel the warmth emanating from her cheeks. He chuckled at her shyness, which was cute. "Are you sure? I don't want you to feel like I'm pressuring you."

Etsu lifted her red face to look at him. "You're not. I've been wanting to, Shin. I just…I was doubtful. I have no reason to doubt anymore."

Shinpachi met her lips without another word.

–

He watched the coffee slowly dribble into the coffee pot after placing two mugs in front of him. He grinned like an idiot to himself, thinking back to last night.

Turning his head when he heard his girlfriend yawn, he flushed a bit, gawking at her in nothing but his black Hulk shirt. It was long enough to reach her thighs, but tight enough to hug her curves.

"…Shin?" She ran a hand through her mussed up dark brown hair, wiping the corner of her eyes. "Shin?" She waved a hand in front of his face.

"Etsu-chan, why are you doin' this to me?" He groaned, reaching over to cup her cheeks and pull her into a needy kiss. "You look so good…Stop temptin' me…"

Her hands were already snaking under his shirt. "I'm catching up on all the times you've tempted me, Nagakura Shinpachi!" She giggled when he grabbed her hips and lifted her on the counter.

"You're a little minx," He chuckled, snaking his own hands under her shirt. "But you've got much to learn~."

She smirked, helping him lift off his shirt. "That's why I've got a great teacher~."


	5. Glasses

Normally, Etsu knocked on Shin's door, but she was paying him a surprise visit. She had conveniently forgot to tell him that it was a half-day. She opened the door, unable to contain her excitement in seeing him. "Sh-"

Her mind stopped completely.

Oh.

Fuck me.

Now.

Her throat was suddenly parched when her brown eyes widened as she took in the sight before her. Her thoughts took a turn for the worse as she continued watching him in silence. She was normally not this…vulgar?

Shinpachi was in his dark green scrubs and his green bandanna, nothing out of the ordinary there.

But.

On his face were a pair of glasses. They'd been dating for almost three years and she'd never seen him wear them before. Ever.

And such a shame that was. She'd been missing out on the finer things of life, seeing Shin in glasses.

Etsu's feet finally moved towards him, dropping her bag along the way, her hands immediately reaching for his hair to pull him down, her hungry lips meeting his.

He was startled by the sudden greeting, since he'd been absorbed in his work, but he easily settled into the hot kiss. "…Whoa, what a greeting, Etsu." He looked down at her, his blue eyes meeting her lust-filled brown ones. "What brought this on? Did you miss me?"

"You have no idea how much I want you right now, Nagakura Shinpachi." Etsu attempted to pull him down for another kiss, but he caught her wrists in time.

"Oi, oi, I'm still on my shift for another half an hour, Etsu!" He grinned, leaning down to hover over her lips. "And what brought this on, Honey?"

She whined in response. "Shinnnnn~, please, take me here and nowwwwww!" Her whole face was red.

It amused him. What's got her all so hot and bothered? Chuckling, placed a kiss on her forehead. "Babe, I can't right now, as much as I'd love to. What's up with you today? You're not usually so impatient in a public place…"

Etsu chewed on her bottom lip in frustration. "Okay…I'll meet you at your apartment then, but hurry up!"

Shinpachi released her wrists and waved at her as she stomped out of his office, which made him laugh again. He'd honestly never seen her like this, and she hadn't answered his question as to what was causing her to act like this.

—

Shinpachi kissed her shoulder. "So, care to tell me what had you all so hot and bothered, Etsu-chan?"

She turned back to look at him and flushed, looking away from him. "…the glasses…"

"Eh?" He blinked in surprise, wondering if he'd heard that correctly. "Did you say 'glasses,' Etsu?"

She buried her face into the sheets, which muffled her voice. Lifting her head up, she turned around in his arms to hide her face in his firm and well-toned chest. "Your glasses, Shin! I'd never seen you look and glasses, and oh…Shin…" She almost moaned again, thinking back to the sight of him.

"Glasses? Ah, you saw me with them! I normally only wear them in the office because that's where I do most of my reading…plus, I look dorky with them." Shinpachi laughed and nuzzled into her hair. "Wait," He lifted his head up. "My dorky glasses set you off like that?!"

"God, Shin, you honestly have no idea how hot you looked." Etsu took a deep breath to calm herself.

"E-EH? Are you serious?! Damn…here I thought I was looking like a nerd…"

"Shin." Etsu placed her hands on his cheeks and stared right into his bright blue eyes. "Don't ever wear glasses in front of another female or a male that is interested in men. They'll go nuts."

"Noted, babe. You're the only one I want to go crazy like that." He laughed and planted a kiss on her lips.


	6. Knight in Shining Armor

_"Shinpachi, can you please pick me up from work? Please? "_

Shinpachi couldn't get over the fear in her voice when she called him. He'd never heard her sound like that before. Luckily, his shift was over in about ten minutes, and he told Hijikata-san that he was leaving early. He didn't bother getting changed and just headed straight to his car to drive immediately. Each stoplight felt like an eternity.

He texted her to ask her where she was and got out to look for her, maybe she was still in her classroom?

His steps were quick and he kept looking down at his phone, but he hadn't received an answer from her yet. He started to run now and threw the door open to her classroom.

"Please let go of me! I've already asked you to!"

Shinpachi didn't think, he merely saw a man that was grabbing and hurting his Etsu, and punched him. "Th' hell are you doing?!"

Etsu gasped and immediately reached out for Shin's arm, grateful to see him. Her heart settled at the mere sight of him. When his hand reached for hers, he squeezed it tightly. "Are you okay?"

She merely nodded.

His furious blue eyes turned back to the man that had been bothering her. "What th' hell are you still doing here? You want me to repeat that?"

The man ducked his head and exited the empty classroom.

He turned back to her when he heard her sob. "Hey, hey, don't be scared, I'm right here." Shinpachi pulled her into his arms. He managed to get her to calm down. "Who was that?"

Etsu wiped her tears away and looked up at him. "…I used to work at an office while I was studying during my undergrad…He-he was kind of a stalker…bothered me at work sometimes, but we worked different shifts, so he was never able to follow me anywhere…But…"

Shinpachi cupped her cheeks. "What'd he do?"

"I mean, I know other women have had it worse, but he tried to kiss me…thankfully another co-worker walked into the break-room and helped me." She looked down, placing her hands on his. "…but it was scary…it would've been my first kiss…" To her, her first kiss had been a precious thing that she wanted to give it to someone very special, Shinpachi had been her first kiss, and he was definitely special. Plus, she'd felt so powerless at the time, scared because she didn't know how to say no or want to cause a scene.

"I don't blame you, Etsu." He kissed her forehead. "I'll come by when school ends to escort you home, na? I'll take my lunch around that time until we don't see him anymore." He kissed her cheek.

"Th-thank you, Shin." She wrapped her arms around him. "I can't thank you enough, you make me feel so safe, Shin."

"I'm your knight in shining armor, Etsu." He grinned and picked her up, spinning her around, causing her to squeal. "I'm not going to let anything happen to you." He gently brushed his lips against hers.

"Shin," She blushed and tiptoed to kiss him again. "Be my Prince rather than my knight…"

Shinpachi's cheeks flushed a light pink. "A-anything for my Princess!"


	7. Pillow Talk

Shinpachi looked over, feeling the sudden weight on his shoulder. "Etsu?" Her head had fallen onto his shoulder while he had been reading an ebook on his tablet, and she'd been playing a JRpg he wasn't quite familiar with. The controller was still in her hands, but she'd definitely dozed off of on his shoulder. Guess she was going to stay over then. He shut his tablet and gingerly reached over for the controller, pressing start and then triangle when it didn't work to find the menu to save her game and shut the T.V off.

When he shifted slightly, Etsu snapped up to attention, blinking sleepily at him. His heart was overwhelmed with affection for her and he planted a kiss on her forehead. "I saved your game. Na, let's go to bed?"

Yawning, she nodded, blinking a few times before she grasped his shirt and followed him to his room. She opened his closet and grabbed his Doctor Strange t-shirt and changed into it as he brushed his teeth. She joined him after and he waited for her to finish brushing her teeth before they both went to his bed.

Etsu snuggled into his bare chest and looked up at him with sleepy eyes and grinned. "I love you, Shin."

He took her hand in his, bringing it up to his lips. "I love you too, Babe."

It wasn't too too often they stayed over at each other's for the night. She imagined this is what it would be like when they got married and moved in together. "Shin,"

"Hm?" Shinpachi's fingers had made their way into her loose, dark brown locks and was playing with them, which was making her feel more relaxed and sleepier than she was.

"I can't wait until we get married and spend everyday like this." Etsu yawned again, closing her eyes. "We'll get to wake up to each other all the time. I hope you never get sick of me."

He chuckled a bit and kissed her nose. "Nah, I'd never get sick of you, Honey. I hope you don't get sick of me though."

She snorted and opened her eyes just a bit. "Don't give me any reasons then." She giggled at his shocked expression.

"Have you been taking lessons in sass from Sano?" Shinpachi nuzzled into her neck and placed a kiss on it.

"Maybe." Etsu giggled again and patted his cheek. "I can never get enough of you, Honey Bear. I could never get sick of you!"

"Good." He closed his eyes and focused on the rhythm of her breathing. "'Night, Babe."

"Goodnight, Shin." Etsu murmured sleepily, her ear on his heart, listening to it. Her heart was filled with so much bliss and happiness, she couldn't help but smile as she fell asleep.


	8. Christmas 01

Christmas music blared from various stores as they passed them by, hand in hand, both bundled up in their warm coats and scarves. Shinpachi was busy looking at her rather than the wares she was distracted by. A grin spread across his face when she turned to look over him, she'd asked him a question, but he hadn't heard her.

"Shin?" She held pointed at a red plate set on the shelf. "Souji-kun and Chizuru-chan just moved into their new place, I think they could use it, this would be nice, wouldn't it?"

"Ah~, I think Chizuru-chan would be more ecstatic about it than Souji." Shinpachi hugged her from behind, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Giggling, she lightly patted the back of his hand. "Shin! We're shopping! Come on, we have to find presents for everyone!"

"I'm just so excited to spend another Christmas together, Etsu-chan~." He gave her cheek little kisses, feeling her cheeks warm underneath his lips.

Etsu was thankful the aisle was clear of people. Not that she hated PDA or anything, she loved it, but sometimes he could be a little overwhelming. "Help me choose something else Souji would like then. We're getting this too." She pointed at the dish set.

Shinpachi reluctantly released her to grab the heavy box before she could reach for it. "How many more do we have left?"

She dug out her little notebook from her purse to check the uncrossed names, as she crossed out Chizuru's, only two remained. "Souji-kun and Sano-san."

"I've got Sano covered, I bought him a bottle of his favorite Sake, we can give him that." He chuckled.

"So, just Souji-kun, huh…" Even though she'd met Souji back in high school, he was a hard person to figure out sometimes. He teased her endlessly, but every now and again he showed how kind he could be.

"Maa, I guess we could get him and Chizuru-chan a gift certificate to a nice hotel. I remember him saying he wanted to take her somewhere nice after New Year's since they're both taking shifts at the hospital that day."

Etsu nodded. "Then that's everyone~."

The pair walked out of the store, starting to head back through the mall to leave the way they came in.

A child's cry made Etsu's head turn, and she immediately released Shinpachi's hand. "Oi, Etsu…" He followed her trail to a crying child. She was already kneeling down trying to calm the child.

"Hey, I'm a teacher, look," Etsu brought out her ID and showed it to the crying child. "I can help you, what's your name?"

The little girl managed to quiet her cries a bit as she inspected the ID Etsu had handed her. "You teach at my friend's school?"

Etsu nodded. "Yeah, now let me help you find your parents."

"What's the matter, 'jou-chan?" Shinpachi knelt beside Etsu.

"She lost her parents, what's your name?"

"Aira," She rubbed her eyes, her sobs were now little sniffles, and she turned her attention to Shinpachi.

"Ah, he's my boyfriend. He's going to help us find your parents." Etsu gave her a reassuring smile.

"I'll put you on my shoulders and you can look for them as we walk around and ask." Shinpachi gently ruffled her hair. "How 'bout it?"

Aira looked back at Etsu and she nodded. Etsu helped her get on Shinpachi's shoulders and they started looking around for her parents. They walked around the food court until Aira spotted her mother and father by the smoothie stand where they were calling her name. Aira called out to them and waved. A wave a relief washed through the parents as they ran over to them. They thanked the couple for finding their daughter and Aira waved to them as she left with her parents, holding her father's hands.

"You couldn't let her be, huh." Shinpachi crossed his arms, grinning over at her.

"How could I? Imagine if it were our daughter we'd lost, God, I'd feel so-" Her eyes widened and she clamped a hand over her mouth. "I-I didn't mean that…Well, it's just hypothetically speaking-I didn't suggest that…Well…." Her cheeks flushed and she looked down.

Shinpachi's cheeks also reddened in response and he took her hand in his. "Well, you're right…if she'd been my kid, I guess I'd be like those parents…Na, let's go home and wrap up some presents!"

After making their way out of the mall, they headed to Etsu's apartment to wrap gifts.

Shinpachi chuckled as he watched her struggle with folding the ends neatly. Surprisingly, he was the better gift wrapper than she was. "They're gonna tear it open anyways, Honey, I don't think it matters what the ends look like."

Pouting, she managed to tape the end to the bottom of the box, and with that, she finished wrapping her half of the gifts. "Yours look much nicer, Honey Bear, I'm jealous~."

Shinpachi stuck the last piece of tape and finished wrapping his gifts as well. "Practice, plus, I'm pretty good with my hands~." He waggled his eyebrows at her and she flushed, looking away.

"Shinpachi!" Faking a cough, she stacked the gifts under the tree. She squealed when he pulled her into his lap and kissed her.

"Na, let's watch a movie?" He nuzzled his face into her neck.

"Yeah, that's exactly what we're going to be doing when the movie plays…" She muttered and stood up to set up the movie. "What movie?"

"Doesn't matter to me." Shinpachi stood up to sit on the couch and grabbed the blanket, patting the spot next to him.

Etsu chose a recommended movie from the list on Netflix and went to sit next to him, but not even ten seconds into the movie, he'd pulled her into a very heated kiss.

As she had suspected, they didn't end up watching the movie.

–

It was Christmas Day and everyone was gathered at Kondō-san's for a meal and gift exchange.

"Fuckin' Souji, this was you, wasn't it?" Hijikata-san held up a book titled, "How to Write Poetry for Dummies."

Satomi was behind him, and she giggled quietly, along with a few others.

"Ara? Hijikata-san, this is a secret santa, you're not supposed to guess~. You're supposed to bow your head and say, 'thank you' politely." Souji had the most amused grin on his face, anyone could tell the gift was from him.

Etsu looked around the noisy living room, carrying a two year old Haru. He tried to reach for the wrapping paper of her unopened gift.

"Oi, Shinpachi, Etsu-chan sure looks good with a kid in her arms." Sanosuke nudged him, setting his bottle of sake down from the couple next to him.

"Yeah…She can't put them down once she finds a kid." Shinpachi chuckled wistfully, looking at her making faces at baby Haru who giggled at her funny expressions. She laughed with him and kissed his cheek. "But we're a long ways off from that." He chuckled.

"Best not to rush things, but if I were you, I'd do everything I can to hang onto her. She's a good girl for you, Shinpachi. She keeps you on your toes and fills in where you're lacking." Sanosuke poked his forehead.

"Oi, Sano! What're ya sayin'?!"

Etsu looked over at Shinpachi when she heard his outburst, tilting her head in confusion. He grinned at her in response and she went back to playing with Haru. She hadn't been paying much attention to everything that was going on around her because she was too busy playing with Haru. Eventually, he fell asleep in her arms, and she stared at him with a gentle smile on her face. She felt so complete at the moment.

Shinpachi observed her from afar. He was nowhere ready to have kids quite yet, but if the time ever came, he'd want it to be with her. Her gentle smile, everything about her in this moment was beautiful.

The evening was coming to an end and everyone was making their way out. Etsu handed off Haru to Kondō-san before she and Shinpachi took off.

"You had a good time?" Shinpachi peered over at her at a stoplight.

Etsu nodded and sighed. "Yeah…I just sometimes feel a little empty after being with a child…I don't think I've ever told you…but it's my dream to have four kids and a loving husband. Ah, don't think I'm pressuring you or anything, it's just a dream I've had. I don't want you to think I'm trying to make you commit or anything, Shin…" She cut herself off when she realized she was just rambling on.

Shinpachi parked the car and leaned over to kiss her. "Nah, I know. When we're ready, we'll be ready." He kissed her cheek. "We're taking our time, right?" He gave her hand a slight squeeze. "Someday…I want to be that husband in your dream, Etsu-chan…" He murmured.

She flushed and looked over at him. "Shin, me too. I hope so too, I love you."


End file.
